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U. B. FAIROHILD.

CABLE RAILWAY. No. 300,235. Patented June 10, 1884.

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CHARLES B. FAIRCHILD, OF NEVV' YORK, N. Y.

CABLE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,235, dated June 10, 1884.

Application filed November 511, 1883. (No model) To It whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. Filmer-min, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gable Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the traction of cars by means of endless cables.

It consists in the con1bi11ation,with the endless cable orwire rope laid and supported, asusual, upon a series of friction rollers or sheaves between the rails of a cable railway, and driven in the customary manner by a stationary engine, ofa second endless cable superimposed upon the driving-cable, to travel with it over the same sheaves, either along the entire length of railway traversed by said main cable or along a portion thereof, but which, being wholly free from the connection with the engine or other stationary. machinery by which the main cable is driven, admits of being led to run freely and continuously over a loose drum or pulley fitted upon a car standing upon the rails, and to carry the" car with it whenever said pulley is made fast or a grip is applied thereto.

It consists, likewise, in mechanism for coupling the car to the secondary cable, and for clamping said cable to the parallel drivingcable, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating in perspective a portion of the two cables in position, and the coupling and gripping devices by which the connection of the car to the cables and of the cables with each other is eli'ected. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the traction drum or pulley coupling the car to the cable detached, and Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the clamping device or grip by which the two cables are held together when the car is in motion.

A represents the main endless wire rope or cable of a cable railway. This cable is laid and supported upon a series of rollers or sheaves mounted at suitable intervals between the rails of a railway, and is driven by a suit able prime motor in the customary manner,

B in the drawings representing a propellingdrum driven by the engine, and about which the cable is carried to obtain therefrom its continuous movement in one direction, as requircd.

C represents a second lighter endless wire rope or cable superimposed upon the first, so as to be carried over and supported by the same set of sheaves, but which, instead of being carried with the first into connection with the prime motorat B, is made to complete its endless circuit free from connection with any stationary device, being carried continuously along the track between the rails without departing therefrom at any point. This secondary endless rope or cable C is led around a loose drum or pulley, D, fixed to revolve freely in suitable bearings upon the frame of a car, under its platform or at other suitable point. When this pulley D is left free to rotate in its bearings, the rope C will run freely over it, while the car carrying the pulley will remain stationary upon the track. If, however, the pulley be fixed and locked, so that it may no longer turn upon its axis, the car will be thereby made fast to the secondary cable, so as to 'be carried forward with it.

The locking of the loose pulley to couple the car to the cable may be obtained by any of the well-known mechanical devices for accomplishing such a result, and in a simple manner, by means of a friction-band, E, carried about the periphery of the pulley, one end being fixed to the frame of the car and the opposite free end connected to the outer arm of a crankdever, F, by means whereof the band may be either tightly clamped upon the pulley or wholly loosed therefrom. I

Although the simple frictional contact of the secondary cable with the driving cable throughout its length will suffice ordinarily to cause them to move together, the secondary cable being thus carried continuously forward with the driving-cable, still, to render their joint movement positive under all conditions, I place upon one or more cars a crank-lever, G, pivoted at its elbow to the frame,in line preferably with the coupling-lever F, and hinge to the end of its shorter arm a rod, H, (see Fig. 3,) which is carried down through a stout vertical tube, K, and is connected to the upper hinged end of a pair of tongs or clamping-levers, L L, whose lower diverging ends are so curved and fashioned as to embrace between them the two superimposed cables A and B. When the tongs are left loose, the cable will glide freely between them. If, however, by a movement of the lever U the rod H is pulled upward,the diverging levers L L will be drawn up into the mouth of the tube, and thereby closed toward each other, so that their lower ends or jaws shall bite upon the two cables with a firm unyielding grip,which will clamp them firmly and positively together. When it is desired to stop the car, the grip is first released, so that the cables may run freely through it, and the brake is then removed from'the pulley D, so that it may turn freely in its bearings as the second cable moves around it. When the car is about to pass the point at which the driving-cable is extended to the motor, the grip alone is released, so that the cables may here separate, as the occasion requires, the car being carried past the point by the engagement of the second cable with the pulley D, held immovable by the brake-band'E.

In the operation of my invention the strain 7 of the car upon the cable is taken up and the car, propelled wholly by the pulley'D and its brake, so that the grip is, relieved therefrom and operates solely to bind the two cables together, while the strain in transferring the l movement of the main cable to the second cable is largely taken up by the frictional contact of the two cables, so that the grip, acting simply as an auxiliary clamp to prevent a slip when the friction of contact of the two is overcome, is subjected to a comparatively slight strain. The use of the pulley D, made fast by a friction-band, E,or its equivalent, as a means of coupling the car to the moving cable, permits the connection of the two to be made in so gradual a manner by the gradual tightening of the band as to avoid any unpleasant jerk or jar in starting the car, such as occurs in the use of the ordinary grips for this purpose.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a cable railway, the combination,with an endless main driving rope or cable geared to the prime motor, of a second superimposed with the main cable independently of any connection with the prime motor, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set' forth. I 2. In a cable railway, the combination,with an endless-main driving rope or cable geared to the prime motor, a second superimposed endless rope or cable moving continuously with the main cable independently of any connection with the prime motor, and a car running upon the railway, of a mechanical device mounted upon the car to engage the secondary rope or cable and couple the car thereto or release it therefrom, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth. 3. In a cable railway, the combination,with an endless main driving rope or cable geared to the prime motor, a second superimposed endless rope or cable moving continuously with the main cable independently of any connection with the prime motor, and a car running upon the railway, of a loose pulley mounted upon the car, and over which the secondary cable is led, and a brake-lever adapted to lock said pulley, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, in a cable railway,w.ith a car running upon the railway, and with an endless main driving rope or cable geared to the prime motor, and a second superimposed endless rope or cable moving continuously with the main cable independently of any connection with the prime motor, of a grip or clamping device mounted upon the car, to be operated therefrom,to embrace the two cables, and which is adapted when open to allow them to pass freely through it, and when closed to clamp and bind them firmly together, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OHARLES B. FAIROHILD.

Witnesses:

A. W. STEIGER, G. H. SPENCER, 

